Neurological Surgery Endowed Chairs

Joseph S. Neimat, MD, MS, MBA

Norton Hospital Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery
School of Medicine - Established May 1998

Norton Healthcare established this chair in neurosurgery to support the salary and expenses associated with the chairholder's teaching and research activities. The gift was matched by the state's Research Challenge Trust Fund.

Norton Hospital and Kosair Children's Hospital, part of the Norton Healthcare system, are the university's primary affiliated hospitals for teaching and research programs in neurosurgery. Norton Healthcare is a not-for-profit organization that has been affiliated with the School of Medicine for more than 50 years and contributed generously to its research and clinical programs.

Maxwell Boakye, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS, FAANS 

Ole A., Mabel Wise & Wilma Wise Nelson Endowed Chair
School of Medicine - Established March 2000

The Ole A., Mabel Wise and Wilma Wise Nelson Chair in Clinical Geriatrics Research was created with a $2 million endowment made possible by a gift from the estate of Wilma Wise Nelson and matching funds from Kentucky's Research Challenge Trust Fund.

The holder of the chair is charged with carrying out clinical research in the field of geriatric medicine.

Brian J. Williams, MD

Center for Advanced Neurosurgery Endowed Research Professorship 
School of Medicine - Established 2011

The Center for Advanced Neurosurgery Chair was created with a $200,000 anonymous donation to the University combined with an additional $200,000 from the University of Louisville Foundation and matching funds from Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund.

The person named to the professorship is charged with advancing the practice of neurological surgery through education, research and service to the profession.

Darryl Kaelin, MD

UofL Endowed Chair for Stroke and Brain Injury Rehabilitation
School of Medicine - Established 2014

The Chair for Brain Injury and Stroke Rehabilitation was created with a $2 million bequest from the estate of Jeannette Roselle.

The person appointed to the Chair is charged with carrying out brain and stroke research as related to Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Louisville. 

Camilo Castillo, MD, MBA

Owsley Brown Frazier Endowed Chair of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation  
School of Medicine - Established March 2002

This chair, named in honor of Frazier Rehab and Neuroscience Institute benefactor Owsley Brown Frazier, was created with a $1 million gift from the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust and a $500,000 gift from Jewish Hospital to establish an endowed research chair in neurological rehabilitation.  The chair extends the mission of the Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center into the area of rehabilitation research and serves the community and state through clinical services provided at Frazier Rehab Institute.

A model for other states, the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Foundation generates money through a surcharge on speeding tickets to support promising research aimed at finding a cure for paralysis.

Michal Hetman, MD, PhD

Neurosurgery Chair No. 2 – Laboratory of Neural Signaling
School of Medicine - Established 2004

Neurosurgery Chair No. 2 was created with a $1 million contribution from the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust (KSCHIRT). The broad mission of the Trust is to fund research that will yield effective repair strategies for individuals suffering neurological injury or disease.

The Laboratory of Neural Signaling contributes to this mission by investigating the complex interactions within the human body that may contribute to, or hinder, recovery from spinal cord or head injury.

Dena Howland, PhD

Rebecca F. Hammond Chair
School of Medicine - Established 2006

The Rebecca F. Hammond Chair was created with a bequest from the estate of Rebecca F. Hammond. This donation was matched by funding from the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust (KSCHIRT). The broad mission of the Trust is to fund research that will yield effective repair strategies for individuals suffering neurological injury or disease. Matching funds from the Trust increased the value of this endowment to $1.4 million.

The Hammond lab contributes to this mission by investigating promising methods of peripheral nerve repair or regeneration.

David Magnuson, PhD

Friends for Michael Chair
School of Medicine - Established 2001

The Friends for Michael Chair was created with $1 million from Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund, which was matched by $1 million from the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust (KSCHIRT). The broad mission of the Trust is to fund research that will yield effective repair strategies for individuals suffering neurological injury or disease.

This Chair is named for Friends for Michael, a grassroots organization whose mission is to provide support for research and other activities that will improve the lives of individuals whose lives have been altered by spinal cord injury.

David Stirling, PhD

James Petersdorf Chair
School of Medicine - Established 2000

The James R. Petersdorf Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Fund for Neurological Surgery was created with a donation from Alliant Health System which was matched by Kentucky’s Research Challenge Trust Fund and the Kentucky Spinal Cord and Head Injury Research Trust (KSCHIRT). The broad mission of the Trust is to fund research that will yield effective repair strategies for individuals suffering neurological injury or disease. This $1.5 million chair supports the Laboratory of Advanced Optical Imaging.

The Laboratory of Advanced Optical Imaging contributes to this mission by studying the aftereffects of spinal cord injury at the level of individual nerves using high-definition microscopy.

Andrea Behrman, PhD

Kosair Charities Endowed Chair in Pediatric Neurorecovery  
School of Medicine - Established 2014